Ultimate Products announces chair succession plan
Ultimate Products, the owner of homeware brands Salter and Beldray, has announced that Jim McCarthy has notified its board of his intention to step down as non-executive chair on 31 July.
McCarthy was appointed to the position in 2017, prior to the group’s IPO. Since then, he has played an instrumental role in steering the business through its first seven years as a listed company. Earlier in his career, he was chief executive of Poundland Group and managing director of Sainsbury’s convenience division.
He will be succeeded as chair by Christine Adshead (pictured) who has been an independent non-executive director of Ultimate Products since September 2020. She is a former partner of PwC where she spent nearly 20 years providing transaction advisory services across a range of sectors, including retail and consumer goods.
McCarthy said: “It has been a privilege to be Ultimate Products’ chair over the last seven years, and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing a part in the ongoing success of this superb business.
“Having worked with Christine for over three years now, I know that she will make an excellent chair of Ultimate Products given her understanding of and support for the group’s culture, strategy and people.
“She is an immensely experienced and well-liked individual, and I am confident that she will help our newly appointed CEO, Andrew Gossage, and the wider team, deliver Ultimate Products’ next stage of growth.”
Adshead said: “I am thrilled to be taking over from Jim, who has done an outstanding job as chair of Ultimate Products since joining the business in 2017.
“Everyone connected with Ultimate Products owes him a huge debt of gratitude for the leadership, counsel and expertise that he has provided to the group during his tenure.”
